Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT) Shares Gap Down on Disappointing Earnings

Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT) shares gapped down before the market opened on Friday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $97.93, but opened at $84.00. Sensient Technologies shares last traded at $92.92, with a volume of 358,100 shares trading hands.

The specialty chemicals company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.06). Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 8.72%.The company had revenue of $393.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $395.70 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.70 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.800 EPS.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd will be given a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 3rd. Sensient Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.15%.

Sensient Technologies News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Sensient Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue growth and operating recovery — Q4 revenue rose 4.5% year‑over‑year to $393.4M (2.0% on a local‑currency basis), showing demand improvement in the period. Sensient Technologies Corporation Reports Results for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Solid profitability metrics — management reported a net margin of ~8.7% and ROE near 12.9%, indicators of healthy cash conversion and returns relative to peers in specialty chemicals. Sensient Technologies Corporation Reports Results for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials published — the company posted its earnings slide deck and the full earnings‑call transcript for review, useful for digging into segment trends and margin drivers. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage & outlook pieces available — third‑party writeups and outlooks are circulating that summarize the quarter and guidance implications. Earnings Outlook For Sensient Technologies
• Negative Sentiment: EPS and revenue missed consensus — Q4 EPS was $0.72 versus the $0.78 consensus; revenue of $393.45M slightly missed estimates (~$395.7M). The miss likely drove initial selling pressure. MarketBeat Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance came in below street expectations — Sensient set guidance of $3.60–$3.80 versus a consensus near $3.93, creating downward revisions to forward estimates and pressuring the share price. Sensient Technologies Corporation Reports Results for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2025

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on SXT shares. Zacks Research upgraded Sensient Technologies to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sensient Technologies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sensient Technologies

In other news, Director Essie Whitelaw sold 3,985 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.02, for a total value of $378,654.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 17,128 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,627,502.56. The trade was a 18.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 146.2% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 293 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new position in Sensient Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies by 313.5% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 306 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.86% of the company’s stock.

Sensient Technologies Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $95.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.74. The firm has a market cap of $3.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.50 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 4.59 and a quick ratio of 1.79.

About Sensient Technologies

Sensient Technologies Corporation is a global leader in the manufacture and supply of colors, flavors and fragrances for a broad range of end-markets. The company develops and produces ingredients that enhance the appearance, taste and scent of products in the food, beverage, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, personal care and household sectors. Its portfolio includes natural and synthetic colorants, botanical and artificial flavor systems, fragrance compounds and specialty chemical offerings tailored to customer specifications.

Within its flavor and fragrance division, Sensient provides custom formulations for sweet, savory and umami taste profiles along with fragrance blends for personal care and cosmetic applications.